Time to move on: The Colts say they want to bring back retired offensive line coach Howard Mudd (left) and coordinator Tom Moore as consultants. It would be a mistake, according to Bob Kravitz.

As a huge fan of Tom Moore and Howard Mudd, it pains me to write the following words, but here goes:

Stay retired.

The concept of one or both returning to the Indianapolis Colts' coaching staff as consultants is ludicrous and downright counterproductive to a team that still has reasonable Super Bowl aspirations.

It's unfortunate both were pushed out the door by the league's new pension program, but it would make no sense for Moore and Mudd to return in a diminished capacity and look over the shoulders of Clyde Christensen and Pete Metzelaars.

On a day when quarterback Peyton Manning had some uncharacteristically harsh words for his bosses (more on that later), he was right on the money with this:

"I really don't know what the word 'consultant' means and I don't know if anybody does,'' Manning told reporters Tuesday. "I know Tom Moore always told me that when he talked to other teams that had consultants, he thought that was kind of a scary word. He thought all a consultant ever did was come in and second-guessed every play call you made.''

Moore and Mudd have made their decision and now it's time for the Colts to make their decision and conclude, once and for all, that they're moving on without the pair.

On the issue of Moore and Mudd as consultants, Manning was on the mark.

On other issues, he was strangely out of line, taking not-so-veiled shots at team president Bill Polian and the new assistant coaches/interns. (As a disclaimer, I should mention that I wasn't there for Manning's comments, but it's hard to miss his point after just a cursory reading.)

Clearly, he's frustrated and concerned that the team's coaching situation isn't completely settled just a few weeks before minicamp.

"I wouldn't say I totally like the way it is right now,'' he said. "It's not normal not having a full coaching staff. It's not a situation that I'm just thrilled about. I think the communication has been pretty poor, in my opinion. But that's what we're dealing with.

"The hard work is what's going on right now. That's what will carry us through. Lack of communication, not knowing, I really don't know any more than what you know. Somebody says one thing, then somebody else says another thing. I'm not sure everybody's on the same page in this building.''

Yikes.

Does this mean Polian needs to open a Twitter account?

There's been a lack of communication because there's been a lack of information. At this point, owner Jim Irsay and Polian still aren't sure what the rules are regarding this unusual situation. One minute, they think they can bring back Moore and Mudd within three months. Next minute, they think it's six months. They can, they can't. Nobody yet knows.

"We would like to have them back with us, working with us in some capacity,'' Polian said later. "Our position is they did what they had to do and we understand that completely. Now, moving forward, we're going to go as though this is the final chapter and we'll move on from there. If there's another chapter, that will be wonderful.

". . . Jim Irsay said he wants them back, and that echoes the sentiments of everybody in this building. If it can be done, how it will be done, when it will be done, those remain open questions.''

So, Polian was asked, what did he make of comments that sounded, at least to the untrained ear, like Manning was, well, peeved.

"I don't know about 'peeved,' but I think he's confused like we all are,'' Polian said. "It's a very complicated issue.''

(Just for perspective, the next time Polian publicly takes Manning to task for anything will be the first time.)

Let's face it: Manning has been spoiled in ways that other quarterbacks can only dream. He has had the same offensive coordinator and the same offensive line coach his entire career. He has had the same center, Jeff Saturday, the past nine seasons and he has had his core of weapons remain stable for years.

So what's the big deal?

Seriously, Peyton, it's May.

My question is, what purpose was served by Manning publicly unloading in this manner? This is a team that is undergoing its first round of seismic changes in nearly a decade, and it needs its franchise quarterback to remain calm and self-assured, not sound alarm bells and raise red flags.

"I know we hired a couple of people to come in (interns Frank Winters for the offensive line and Ron Johnson for the receivers), but these guys are learning," Manning said. "They're not offering a lot of coaching out there, I can assure you of that.''

So much for the Peyton Manning Seal of Approval, huh?

Things are changing over at West 56th Street. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. New blood, new voices, new ideas.

No. 18 doesn't just need to get with the new program, he needs to sell it.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Assistants, stay retired; QB, stay with program

As a huge fan of Tom Moore and Howard Mudd, it pains me to write the following words, but here goes: